Bickel had been through a particularly
nasty divorce and was dealing with back pain
and arthritis, exacerbated by a slightly
increased weight.

“People said, ‘You didn’t look like you had
to lose anything,’ ” she recalls of people who
saw her “before” picture. Rather than needing
to lose weight, she needed to lose the weariness
and a general sense of feeling less than well.

“I’ve tried Weight Watchers and Nutri-system, South Beach, the Cabbage Soup Diet;
none of them worked,” Bickel observes, before
quickly adding, “although I realize they work
for some people.”

;e Belly Fat Cure meant learning a new
way of eating.

“I had always monitored calories, since
most of the other programs were all about
calories,” Bickel says. “I had never monitored
sugar before.”

She started eating foods with less sugar
and the “right carbs,” and, according to her,
“the weight just started falling o;.”

Bickel says she lost 15 pounds and 7 inches
around her belly, but, more important, “I feel
like I’m 20 years younger. I have more energy
than I’ve ever had.”

;at energy is bene;ting others. “;ose of
us who were really into [the Belly Fat Challenge]
volunteered to act as mentors. It’s hard for people to get started, so I show them how to read
food labels, show them what their options are
and try to guide them. ;at ;rst week can be
really di;cult … but once you get the hang of
it, you can’t go back to your old ways because it
makes you physically sick. Your body tells you
it’s not worth it.”—Steve Fisher

THE LAST WE HEARD from Alexandra Edmondson and Michelle McGowen, they had lost a combined 36 pounds and nearly 14 inches from their waists. They’ve both been able to keep that weight off after more than a year. The Connection featured Edmondson and McGowen last year (October and June issues, respectively) in a series of stories about frustrated dieters who had found success with the Belly Fat Cure. Edmondson had turned to the eating plan after several dead ends with other diets. McGowen needed help after gaining 20 extra pounds following treatment for cancer. “My weight ;uctuates by 1 or 2 pounds at times, but I have been able to keep it off,” reports Edmondson. “I have made permanent changes for the better.” McGowen, who dropped from a size 12 to a size 8, says the key has been to eliminate “the real culprits” in her diet: hidden sugars and excessive carbs. “With my new way of eating, I feel incredibly healthy and I am con;dent that I am taking the best possible care of myself,” she says.—TT

BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP has many
bene;ts. You’ve got someone with whom to
share joys, sorrows and, for couple Dawn
Culbertson and Ron White, weight loss.

“It really helps to have someone to do it
with,” says White.

In fact, when Culbertson decided to
change the way she eats, White thought he
was there for support only. But as he made
changes along with his partner, they both
began to drop pounds.

The two, who’ve been dating for three
years, had di;erent reasons for wanting to lose
weight. Culbertson says she’s struggled with
her weight all of her life. She’d recently lost several pounds and was looking for a way to keep
that weight o;, if not lose a little more.

White, on the other hand, was trying to
get back the slender build he’d had in his
youth. “You think you’re still athletic-looking.
;en you see a photo of yourself and think,
‘Oh my goodness!’ ” he says.

Culbertson says tag-teaming weight loss
was particularly nice in the beginning, when
the couple faced the challenge of tracking
everything they were eating. Even when they’d
mastered making healthy food choices, it was
helpful to turn to each other for support.

Examples include when White’s family
couldn’t understand why he turned his back
on his lifelong food staple of white rice,
and when Culbertson’s colleagues
continued to o;er her baked goods
and other sweets.

Together they’ve learned to
pay attention to labels, avoid
processed food and even
provide the voice of reason
by asking, “Are you sure you
want to eat that?” Another
benefit, White tells The
Connection, is that being a
couple makes it easier to stay
on track at restaurants.

He says, “We do like to
dine out. Since we’ve started to
eat smaller portions, we share
an entrée and we’re both full.”

You don’t want to try to
lose weight by yourself, adds
White. “If you do, you can cheat
here and there. [Making healthful food choices] with your girlfriend makes you accountable. It
will help you stick with it.”
—Stephanie E. Ponder e
i
eat smaller portions, we shareg
g
friend makes you accountable. It e